Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Technically it may not be Summer yet, but Memorial Day has just passed so I say it's close enough. The air smells like BBQ, the heat is edging toward the oppressive triple digits, and I have two swimsuits I'm mulling over in a virtual shopping bag. It's hot and this means I have popsicles on the brain. I have an internal clock that seems to strike at various times of the year, creating romanticized images of activities that I have an overwhelming desire to incorporate into my day. Right on time, I'm gearing up for my multiple viewings of Jaws and am ready to eat sweet treats while wearing my cut offs. Welcome Summer! It will probably be a short-lived joyous affair but I bet we'll squeeze in some fun before saying adieu.

Natalie Lines has some nice animal illustrations. Of course this dachshund one rises to the top. I wonder how Biggie and Boo would do with some specs. Not well I imagine, but they'd be so cute for the 10 seconds they tolerated the new look.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

How gorgeous and simple is this print. The Best Part has disassembled images of the moon and rebuilt them into a diamond. Really. You can check out the detail of the work or buy a 24" x 24" print over on TBP's site.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

When in Vegas I took along my trusty Fuji Instamatic. It's too bad these aren't scratch and sniff... there were some interesting pockets of odor that I can only compare to a special port-a-potty kind of smell. Good stuff.

One of the best parts of our visit was watching a man named Big Elvis perform. I think he may have a few hundred pounds on the real Elvis, even at his heaviest. His singing was pretty on par though. I also participated in a dancing "contest". I blame the beer special. But hey, I got a signed certificate and everything. Woo hoo. The shame and embarrassment was worth it.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Well, this isn't exactly fresh news but I wanted to pass along my excitement and gratitude for having this photo included in the fourth issue of Tell Mum Everything is Ok -- "Wasteground". If I had been on top of things you might still have a chance to buy it; they are sold out now. You can however get a look at all of the photographers that were included by going here. Please check out the talented company I was in.

Monday, May 23, 2011

A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I went to Las Vegas. He was assigned to a work conference and I got to tag along. This was my first time to go. Vegas had never been one of my top destination places, but I always considered it somewhere I should visit before I die. The allure was not so much in the potential to dive into debauchery and then leave it all behind, but to hopefully get a peek at the glitz and sparkle that I came to know in films of the 60's and 70's. Apparently there's not much of that left. Yes, there's glitz and sparkle but its shine is more Dion than Dino.

We stayed on the strip but fortunately found some time to head downtown. While it did not quite hold up to my retro notions and hopes, we were able to see that many relics were still there hearkening back to more Rat Packy times. Many of the old neon signs were there simply as landmarks, but there were also tons welcoming visitors to casinos and restaurants that were still very much open. Seeing these signs made me hungry for more history, and I quickly realized that most of what I wanted existed only on paper and photographs.

Vegas seems to shed its skin like its constantly preparing for another layer of self-tanner. It's kinda gross and never content with how it looks. I'm sad for this, and like with many of my other hopeless wishes for times passed I'll have to settle for "progress" and find solace in Google searches, memories and movies. As my kind of love letter to the old days I made a series called "Viva Lost Vegas" which are simplified signs from a few of the Casinos and Hotels that once were or still are and reach back to those times. You can see them all after the jump...